Naginata Basics - The Samurai Polearm of Power

About the Naginata

The naginata (なぎなた, 薙刀) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (nihontō).[Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei (warrior monks). The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. The Naginata is associated in these teachings with the style of the Kukishin Ryu.

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